Community Legal Services is working to ensure low-income Philadelphians have access to important medical, food, and income support benefits through local County Assistance Offices during the coronavirus crisis. CLS has a unique model that allows us to hear directly from people that are impacted by this crisis, so we can advocate for big change to…
Following a few days of national outcry, the IRS reversed course on Wednesday, April 1, 2020, and announced that Social Security recipients who do not usually file taxes will receive stimulus payments under the CARES Act automatically. The IRS’s decision should be celebrated, but it doesn’t go far enough. Three million seniors and people with…
Coronavirus affects us all. We all need to be able to get care so that we, our families, and our communities are healthy and strong. It is safe to get Medical Assistance if you qualify so that you can protect your health during this crisis. What is Medical Assistance? Medical Assistance is a free health…
A court order has delayed the start of a new rule for food stamps that would have left thousands without benefits. On Friday, March 13, the U.S. District Court for D.C. issued a nationwide injunction stopping the new waiver criteria – i.e. the SNAP time limit rule for ABAWDs – from taking effect. This is…
Información en español sobre Licencia por EnfermedadUPDATE: You may be covered by sick leave for the Covid-19 coronavirus now. If you are covered under Philadelphia’s Sick Leave Ordinance (coverage information below), you can now use your sick leave for these reasons, too: • If your workplace closes because of coronavirus • If you are quarantined…
The Social Security Administration (SSA) has published a new rule that could cause immigrants and limited English proficient people with disabilities to be denied vital income supports. Previously, SSA considered a person with a disability’s ability to communicate in English when evaluating whether they were able to work, and thus qualify for disability benefits. With…
CLS staff attorney Caroline Buck won a victory for families in an important new Pennsylvania Supreme Court case, In re N.B.-A.. The court clarified that parents should not be punished for child abuse perpetrated by others in cases where the parent did not know, and could not have known, that their child was in danger…
People of color are disproportionately burdened by unaffordable utility service. Nationally, Black and Latinx households spend a greater percentage of their income on energy costs than white households. The percentage of household income spent on energy costs is known as an energy burden. For years, Pennsylvania permitted unaffordable energy burdens of up to 17% of…
Good news: a court has put a halt to the ABAWDs rule change. The rule will not be going into effect April 1. Please check back for more information. View the “Understanding the New SNAP Time Limit“ webinar for free! Starting April 1, 2020, over 35,000 Philadelphians – and over 90,000 Pennsylvanians — will be…
Contact with the criminal legal system comes with a price tag that a growing number of Americans cannot afford to pay. With one in three Americans living with a criminal record, it is no surprise that an estimated ten million Americans owe a total of 50 billion dollars in court imposed fines and costs.
